ATOMIC AND MASS SPECTROMETRY RESEARCH GROUP ams

The A&MS group is specialized in the development of methods for the determination, elemental speciation and isotopic analysis of (trace) metals and metalloids via ICP-mass spectrometry and the application of these methods in interdisciplinary contexts.

Key Research Areas

• Spatially Resolved Analysis & Bioimaging (LA-ICP-MS): Laser ablation ICP-mass spectrometry for high-resolution 2D and 3D elemental imaging of biological tissues and material samples at pixel acquisition rates up to 1000 Hz.
• High-Precision Isotopic Analysis (MC-ICP-MS): Multi-collector sector-field ICP-MS for isotopic ratios of non-traditional stable isotopes (Cu, Fe, Zn, Ca, Mg, K) applied to medical diagnosis and archaeological provenance.
• Single-Event ICP-MS: Determination and sizing of engineered nanoparticles and single-cell metallomics in environmental and biomedical systems.
• Elemental Speciation Analysis: Hyphenation of chromatographic separations (HPLC, GC) to ICP-MS for determination of chemical forms and oxidation states of trace elements.

Principal Investigator

Prof. dr. Frank Vanhaecke (FRSC) • Senior Full Professor • Head of A&MS Research Unit • Vice-Chair Department of Chemistry.
ORCID: 0000-0002-1884-3853 | LinkedIn: Frank Vanhaecke

Key Research Team

Academic Staff / Head of Group: Prof. dr. Frank Vanhaecke
Post-Doctoral Researchers: Dr. ir. Thibaut Van Acker, Dr. Lana Abou-Zeid, Dr. Ana Lores Padín, Dr. Tom Van Helden.
PhD Researchers: Rafael Soares Stenico, Teun Vandenhaute, Mina Nikolić, Gaoyan Tong, Mathias Vandermeiren, Nuoyao Yin.
Technical Staff: Jorge Alves Anjos, Kris Latruwe.

Key Scientific Publications

• Analytical Chemistry (2025): Boosting the Pixel Acquisition Rate of Elemental Mapping with Laser Ablation–ICP-Mass Spectrometry to 1000 Hz.
• Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry (2026): Observations on sample size for lead isotopic analysis of ancient copper alloys.
• Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry (2025): Predicting image quality degradation as a result of two-phase sample transport in LA-ICP-TOFMS mapping of carbon-based materials.
• Metallomics & Analytica Chimica Acta: High-precision isotopic analysis of copper and zinc via multi-collector ICP-MS and tandem quadrupole ICP-MS/MS methodologies.

Analytical Equipment & Facilities

Multi-Collector ICP-MS (Thermo Neptune Plus / Nu Plasma), High-Resolution Sector Field ICP-MS (Element XR), Tandem Quadrupole ICP-MS/MS (Agilent 8900 ICP-QQQ), Excimer Laser Ablation Systems (Analyte G2 193 nm with fast-washout two-volume cell), hyphenated HPLC-ICP-MS, and single-cell sample introduction systems.

PhD & Postdoctoral Research Opportunities

The A&MS research group regularly hosts PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, master's thesis students, and visiting scholars in mass spectrometry, laser ablation bioimaging (LA-ICP-MS), isotopic analysis (MC-ICP-MS), and elemental speciation. Prospective applicants with backgrounds in analytical chemistry or instrumentation should contact Prof. dr. Frank Vanhaecke with their CV and research interests.

Contact & Location